Starter for internal-combustion engines.



J. E. DESMOND.

STARIER ,FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES. APPLICATION HLED MAY27. 191s. RENEWED 6U. 31. I91].

1 50,569. Patented Dec. 18, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. E. DESMOND.

STARTER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 27. I916. RENEWED OCT. 31. 1917.

1,250,569. Patented Dec. 18,1917.

2 snsrs-suzzr 2.

JOHN E. DESMOND, or nnrnoir, lVI' ECiII-IIGAN, ass'renonzro GRAYMOTORCOMPALTY, or

HIGHLAND m x, mcareale, A oonnona'rron or ELAWARE."-

.s'ren'rnnjron INTERNAL-COMBUSTIONENGINES.

Y ."Specificationof Letters Patent. De 18 1917}.

Application filed Mayan 191e, seriaiino. loo ,a'oe. nenewed Qctober 3i, 1917-. sri No. 199,510. l,

To all whom it may concern. 1 1i Be it known that I, JOHN DnsMoND,"a

haveinvented a certain new and useful-1m provement in Starters for InternaLConibus-j' tion Engines, and declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of "the" i same, such as will enable others skill ed in the art to which it pertains to make and useth'e same, referencebeing' had tothe accompany ing. drawings, which. form'ia part 'off this specification.

My invention relates to starters forinternal combustion engines and my improvements have Specifically in view providing an improved starter and one especially adapted to a Ford automobile. Y

I accomplish this object in the device illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure 1- 1s a detail sectional view of an apparatus embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is an elevation, the near side of the casing being removed and parts partly broken away to show the lnterlor construction.

Fig. 3 includes two views of a portion of to or is integral with a circulardisk {a which disk has a hub at its center and is sleeved to oscillate or turn about the engine shaft sh. 3 (Fig. 2) is a stationary abutment having end faces y and properly packed and fitting into the annular passage in the casing 6. y is a buffer extending from the face 1 of the abutment 1 The conduit or pipe h communicates with the casing b and the annular chamber therein between the heads to and y 8 is a helical spring secured at one end to the hub of the disk 00 and adapted to turn said disk in the reverse direction to that of the hands of a clock, as shown in Fig. 3.

t is a ratchet wheel rigidly connected with the shaft sh. u is a pawl carried by the citizen of the United States, residing Def 1 troit, county of WVa'yne, State of Mich1gan,

n e h i i ii r'l ds to o m the a disk m and ada pted engage the teethtof' thefwheel't when'said diskisactuated in the:

direct ionfof" the hands of a clock, asshown.

in Fig. 2. n is a cavity "the lateralface" of the pawl u, and o is a latch having 'a'co'nical inner'end'and actuated bya spring u? to engage in the cavity a? in the 'pawl it 'tdhold f said. pawl out "of'eng'ageinent withthe teeth of the wheel tfwhenthe disk d and awlm are 'in their initial positions. yTheret-lisfja spring at? tending to 'force the pawl uintof engagement: with the'teeth' of the w l i'eel 2f. f'The casing b; is made "up of two and b3, havingf machined edges, fittin'gt j" n'ularcavityin' said casing which is of clrcularfornrin cross sect on. The inner edges of thejhalv'es b '6 of the'cas'ing do not meet *b'ut are' somewhatseparated from each other and parallel so as to leave an annular opening through the inner wall of the casing as shown in Fig. 2. The edges bordering the annular opening just described are chamfered oif inwardly, as shown in r r Fig. 2. r r are steel rings having fiat plane: inner surfaces adapted to fit against the sides of the disk :0 and having chamferedor conical surfaces adapted tofit against the Chainfered or conical surfaces i The upper or outer surfaces of the rings 1' r are cylindrical and finished. to form a smooth surface against which the piston to fits and turns.

The operation of the above described device is as follows: 1

To start the engine theoperator puts a compressed air reservoir (not shown) into communication with the casing Z) through the pipe 72 The compressed air rushing through this connection into the cavity of the casing 5 between the'head y of the abutment y and'the head 10 of'the piston to forces the piston forward carrying with it the disk :0 and the pawl As soon as the pawl at has passed away from the latch 41 and therefore hasdisengaged itself from said latch, it is forced by the spring 164 into engagement with a tooth of the ratchet t and carries such ratchet with it and consequently turns the shaft sh of the engine thus starting the, engine.

When the piston to has made its stroke the air is released and the spring 8 retracts the disk a: and piston- 20 to its normal position. the pawl u being again engaged by the latch oto hold it out of engagement with 110 the ratchet 13 until the piston w shall have made another stroke. Of course, any number of such strokes may be made by repeatedly operating the lever is.

It will be observed that as the piston progresses in its travel the pressure of the air comes upon the rings '1 r and acts to force them inward and into closer contact with the surface of the disk as and with the chamfered edges r of the casing b so that nected with said piston, an edge bounding said opening being chamfered so that its cross section shall diverge inwardly from the adjacent surface of said disk, a packing ring having a wedge shaped cross section fitting against said edge and the adjacent surface of said disk so that a pressure in said chamber upon said ring shall tend to force it against said edge and adjacent surface of the disk. j

2. In combination, an annular chamber, a piston adapted to fit and reciprocate in said annular chamber, an annular opening through thewall of said chamber, a disk extending through said opening and connectedwith said piston, an edge bounding said opening being chamfered so that its cross section shall diverge inwardly from the adjacent surface of said disk, a packing ring having a wedge shaped cross section fitting against said edge and the adjacent surface of said disk so that a pressure in said chamber upon said ring shall tend to force it against said edge and adjacent'surface of the disk, said ring having an ap proximately cylindrical surface, and said piston being adapted to fit against the surface of said ring.

In testimony whereof, I sign this speciii cation.

JOHN n. D sMoND.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Yatents,

v Washington, 3. $3. 

